The main male character’s name is Michael Hosea, in case you might have had any doubts about her intent. The review was from a female movie reviewer at Tribune News Service.Ī little background for those who aren’t familiar with the book or movie: Redeeming Love is based on the book of Hosea in the Bible, and Francine Rivers is not light-handed about it. I still read a print newspaper every day (thank you, Lord, that my city still has one), and much to my surprise, there was a regular-length, official movie review of Redeeming Love in the weekend paper-giving it a legitimacy not usually given to movies with overt Christian themes (they’re usually not reviewed at all).

Full disclosure: I don’t have plans to see the movie, and it’s not even the movie itself that I find interesting-it’s the reviews, and one review in particular. Unfamiliarity with a genre (or the actual subject matter) doesn’t stop movie reviewers, though, and they weighed in this past weekend with their thoughts on the new movie adaptation of Redeeming Love. I would have a hard time reviewing something in a particular category that I’m mostly unfamiliar with … other than that it’s a book, and I’ve read plenty of books. So I’m a poor judge of books in this genre.

Now, romantic fiction, Christian or not, is not my cup of tea, and I’ve read very little of it. I can’t begin to estimate how many female Christian friends have urged me to read Francine Rivers’ 1991 bestselling book Redeeming Love over the years ( so many!), and I finally got around to it last year.

The reviews are in on “Redeeming Love,” and redemption is not what our culture thinks it is.

Redeeming love based on hosea